Sooners to Host No. 7 Michigan Friday, Head to TWU Sunday

NORMAN – The No. 1 Oklahoma women's gymnastics team is set for a top-10 showdown Friday night inside Lloyd Noble Center when No. 7 Michigan comes to Norman. The meet is set for a 6:15 p.m. CT start time on ESPN2. John Roethlisberger and Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman will be on the call.

The Sooners will look to avenge their lone regular season loss in 2023 which came at the hands of Michigan in Ann Arbor. The Sooners and Wolverines have won the last four NCAA Championships with OU winning in 2019, 2022 and 2023 and Michigan winning their first title in 2021.

After Friday's meet, the Sooners will hit the road to Denton, Texas, for a quad meet hosted by Texas Woman's. The meet will feature the Sooners alongside host TWU, Penn and Clemson. The Tigers are in their first year of NCAA competition and this will be the first meeting in school history. Sunday's meet is set for a 2 p.m. start time inside Kitty Magee Arena.

THE MORE YOU KNOW

RECORD BREAKERS
On Friday, Feb. 23, the Sooners broke their program scoring record with an incredible 198.675 against West Virginia. The score ranks fourth all-time in NCAA history and OU is just the fourth program to score over a 198.600 in competition (Florida, UCLA, Stanford). Not only did the Sooners break the program record, OU tied the school record on beam with a 49.800. Ragan Smith earned a perfect 10 to cap off the record-breaking rotation, earning herself a share of the record for most perfect scores on beam in OU history. Smith joins Sooner great Maggie Nichols at the top of the standings with seven career 10.0s on beam.

HOME SWEET OKLA(HOME)A
Oklahoma is 142-4 inside Lloyd Noble Center since the arrival of head coach K.J. Kindler in 2007 and has posted 80 consecutive home victories across 52 meets dating back to 2014. The 2024 senior class is currently undefeated at home in their careers. OU will compete at home five times during the regular season and will also host the Big 12 Championships. The Sooners are currently 5-0 inside the LNC with wins over BYU, Denver, TWU, Utah State and West Virginia. After Friday, the Sooners will host future SEC foe Alabama (March 17, ESPN2). The Big 12 Championship will be on ESPNU on March 23.

THE BEAM QUEEN
After receiving back-to-back perfect scores on balance beam, Ragan Smith moved into a tie for most perfect marks on the event in program history. In her five year career, Smith has earned seven perfect scores on balance beam, tying OU legend Maggie Nichols (2017-2020). Smith has recorded at least two perfect 10s in each of the last three seasons. She currently ranks No. 1 in the nation on the event.

TO 198 AND BEYOND
Oklahoma has totaled 68 scores of 198 or better in program history, including 60 scores since 2016. Of those 68 scores, only 26 have been earned at home, with 42 coming at road or neutral site competitions. Twenty of those scores have come in regional or national competitions, including a 198.3875 at the 2023 NCAA Championship which tied for the highest NCAA Finals score in history. In 2023, the Sooners earned a new program-best with a 198.575 against West Virginia on Feb. 24, 2023. Also in 2023, the Sooners recorded an NCAA record 10 scores of 198-plus, which they accomplished in 2018 and 2022. The Sooners are the only team averaging over a 198 with a 198.206 through the first eight weeks.

CLOUD 9.9
In eight meets, the Sooners have posted 94 scores of 9.9 or higher – an average of 13.4 per meet and 56% of all routines. In week eight, the Sooners saw 19 of 24 routines score a 9.9 or higher – a rate of 79 percent. OU counted 18 scores of 9.9 or better out of 24 routines in the meet. The two counting scores below a 9.9 were both 9.875s.
The Sooners lead the nation with 113 scores of 9.9 or higher, followed by LSU with 93 and Cal with 82. Only the Sooners have tallied double-digit marks of 9.9 or better in every meet this season.

TOP TOTALS
Of the nation's top scores this season, the Sooners hold three of the top five spots and are the only team with more than one score in the top five. The Sooners hold the No. 1 spot with a 198.675, No. 2 spot with a 198.450 and No. 4 spot with a 198.375. LSU is the only other school with more than one score in the top 10 as the Tigers hold the No. 2 spot (198.475), No.7 spot (198.300) and No. 9 spot (198.125). OU is one of two schools (LSU) to hit the 198 mark more than once in 2024, but is the only school with all marks over 198.300.

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Michigan: The Wolverines head into week nine ranked seventh nationally and inside the top-15 on all four events. Michigan ranks third on the floor and sixth on the beam, while coming in at No. 13 on the uneven bars and No. 14 on the vault. Individually, Sierra Brooks ranks in the top 10 nationally on floor (2nd), bars (8th) and the all-around (5th). Gabby Wilson also ranks inside the top 25 as she is 13th on floor and in the all-around, 21st on beam and 25th on vault. Carly Bauman made her debut in the all-around as she completed a tucked Yurchenko 1.5 on the vault at the Big Five Meet and scored a 39.425 in the all-around. Sophomore Paige Thaxton made her collegiate debut on the floor and scored a 9.875 for Michigan at the Big Five Meet.
Clemson: Clemson is coming off a 197.350-195.550 victory over North Carolina Friday night. In their first season as an NCAA program, the Tigers have been off to a hot start and currently rank No. 27 in the nation. This week, Lauren Rutherford was named the ACC's Specialist of the Week while Sierra Church earned the league's Newcomer of the Week honors.
Penn: Penn is coming off a victory at the 2024 Ivy Classic with a meet-record score of 195.800. The win was the 14^th Ivy Classic title in program history, the first since 2020 and the first under head coach Kirsten Becker. The mark of 198.500 was the best team score in an Ivy Classic by any team. Skyelar Kerico won the all-around Ivy Classic title with a program-record score of 39.325. The mark snaps a 12-year-old record from 2012 held by Dana Bonincontri. Sara Kenefick and Jordan Barrow were crowned Ivy Classic co-champions with two others on vault with scores of 9.825. Samantha Wu took home the Ivy Classic title on balance beam with her 9.900.
TWU: The Pioneers are coming off an impressive 195.425 team score at the Utah State quad meet, including an individual program record on vault by Daisy Woodring. Woodring, an AAI Award Nominee, earned a career-high 9.95 on vault to set a new TWU record.

LOOKING AHEAD

The Sooners have back-to-back home meets for the first time this season. OU will welcome Michigan to the LNC on Friday, March 1. The meet is set for a 6:15 p.m. start time and will air on ESPN2.

MEET DAY POLICIES

OU Athletics' clear bag policy will be in effect and walk-through metal detectors will be utilized. The approved clear plastic tote size is a maximum of 12 inches x 6 inches x 12 inches or a one-gallon clear plastic freezer bag. Even those bags are subject to search.

Arena doors will open to the public one (1) hour prior to meet start. The general public can utilize the north and east entrances. No pass or payment is required for any parking at the LNC. Full details on OU's meet day policies at Lloyd Noble Center can be found here.

BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP TICKETS ON SALE NOW

Tickets for the 2024 Big 12 Gymnastics Championship hosted by the University of Oklahoma are on sale now. Competition is set for Saturday, March 23, at 6:15 p.m. CT inside Lloyd Noble Center. Tickets can be purchased online here or by calling the athletics ticket office at (405) 325-2424.

Season ticket holders can login to their account at soonersports.com/myaccount and then click "Season Ticket Renewal" to purchase the same seats as their season tickets. For fans wanting to purchase additional seats or remove seats, please call the ticket office at (405)325-2424 or email outickets@ou.edu to make any changes.

Reserved seats are $20 each. General admission tickets are $12 for adults and $5 for youth (6-18) and seniors (55+). OU students can get in free with their OU ID.